Big Man (350lbs) looking to cycle again...

Hello there everyone. I am a person who is looking to get back into cycleing....
I used to cycle alot as a child, and now would like to purchase a bike that would be able to handle my weight. I dont think I will be doing much off roading, but would like a bike that would handle the occasional off road trek.

I am looking at all price points, so any informations would be very helpful.

A heavy rider puts a lot of stress on the wheels and tires. And, luckily for heavy riders, the wheels and tires that are supplied with lower priced/mid-priced mountain bikes are designed to take a lot of stress.

Any mountain bike in the $400 to $600 price range sold by a "top" brand (Trek, Specialized, Giant, KHS, etc.) will be tough enough for your needs. More important than "brand" is that you buy from a neighborhood bike shop that specializes in good customer service. A good shop will carefully assemble and tune-up your bike, and true the wheels before you pick up the bike.

And, they will retune the bike, adjust the shifting and brake cables, and retrue your wheels, free of charge, after you have broken the bike in. A heavy rider puts a lot of stress on wheels, so you should plan on getting the wheels checked, and retrued if needed, every couple of hundred miles. If you keep your wheels in good shape, you will get years of reliable service from a $400 bike.

Try to ride everyday, at least 25 to 28 days per month. Riding everyday, even for only 45 minutes a day, will get you in good shape in just a few months. Guys who ride just one or two days a week often just get sore muscles, a sore rear, and don't really do much for their physical condition.

Any mountain bike in the $400 to $600 price range sold by a "top" brand (Trek, Specialized, Giant, KHS, etc.) will be tough enough for your needs. More important than "brand" is that you buy from a neighborhood bike shop that specializes in good customer service. A good shop will carefully assemble and tune-up your bike, and true the wheels before you pick up the bike.

And, they will retune the bike, adjust the shifting and brake cables, and retrue your wheels, free of charge, after you have broken the bike in. A heavy rider puts a lot of stress on wheels, so you should plan on getting the wheels checked, and retrued if needed, every couple of hundred miles. If you keep your wheels in good shape, you will get years of reliable service from a $400 bike.

I agree with alan. Have a look around at some shops and get back to us on the clydesdales subforum where we heavy types hang out.

At 350 lbs, don't be surprised if you have frequent problems damaging your wheels (rims) due to pot-holes and road hazards. Even lightweight riders have this problem, but the problems become more frequent with heavy riders.

Still, this should not detract you from riding and we are all delighted to know that you will be joining us as a bicycle riding enthusiast.

There are few sports that are as enjoyable and do-able as bicycle riding. You can float yourself to fitness and good health both physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Another option besides a Mountain bike would be a Cyclo-cross bike. It has drop bars similar to a road bike, but built for off road use.

A touring bike should have strong wheels also, but not really designed for off road use. Maybe a fitness/hybrid like a Trek 7.3 FX will do. IMHO Anything above the 7.3 comes equipped more like a road bike.

Another option besides a Mountain bike would be a Cyclo-cross bike. It has drop bars similar to a road bike, but built for off road use.

lots of clydes like their surly crosschecks (cyclocross) and surly long haul truckers (touring). the problem with cyclocross and touring bikes is that they are generally much more expensive than entry level mountain bikes.

A heavy rider puts a lot of stress on the wheels and tires. And, luckily for heavy riders, the wheels and tires that are supplied with lower priced/mid-priced mountain bikes are designed to take a lot of stress.

Any mountain bike in the $400 to $600 price range sold by a "top" brand (Trek, Specialized, Giant, KHS, etc.) will be tough enough for your needs. More important than "brand" is that you buy from a neighborhood bike shop that specializes in good customer service. A good shop will carefully assemble and tune-up your bike, and true the wheels before you pick up the bike.

And, they will retune the bike, adjust the shifting and brake cables, and retrue your wheels, free of charge, after you have broken the bike in. A heavy rider puts a lot of stress on wheels, so you should plan on getting the wheels checked, and retrued if needed, every couple of hundred miles. If you keep your wheels in good shape, you will get years of reliable service from a $400 bike.

Try to ride everyday, at least 25 to 28 days per month. Riding everyday, even for only 45 minutes a day, will get you in good shape in just a few months. Guys who ride just one or two days a week often just get sore muscles, a sore rear, and don't really do much for their physical condition.

This is very good right here. Having them tend to adjustments and SPOKES is worth the price of admission. I'll add as an ex- 368 pounder, a hybid will be fine too. Hybrids don't allways have front suspension which I believe better suits your needs than a full-blown mountain bike. Hybrids or faster flat-bar fitness bikes,called other names also are faster and fit more roadbike-like than a mountain.

Mountain bikes are stronger but any mid priced bike- MTB,Hybrid or road will stand up to your weight. The one exception is wheels- They will take the weight but most wheels are machine built and the tension on the spokes is not even enough. Run the bike for 200 miles or so and then get a wheel builder to retension and true the wheel. That is just like having a top quality build with cheaper components.

One Manufacturer that does make a bike for the heavier and bigger rider is Kona. They make the Hoss and this is for Clydesdales. A full qualaity MTB that has all the right bits on to take the stress and starin of a heavy rider.

The HOSS is no different from most mountain bikes,not a bad choice,a mountain bike and not a stand-out. The wheels are very basic, non-expensive mid-level at best moutain wheels. Kona is OK as I said. I've never entered a store that has them. I've been in 40 or so LBSs the past five yrs. from NY to South Carolina, haven't seen one. Do check it out if you can find one. I feel that focusing on one brand, much less that brand is an error.

Maybe this will not help the OP, but I wonder why freestyle or all-mountain-bikes are not really popular in the clydes forum? With the stonger frames designed for landing, one would think this style of bike would be a good choice.

Maybe this will not help the OP, but I wonder why freestyle or all-mountain-bikes are not really popular in the clydes forum? With the stonger frames designed for landing, one would think this style of bike would be a good choice.

Edit: I am guessing cost is the major factor.

You are right in that mountain bikes in general will be stronger but in the main- It is the wheels that let them down. Now I have a set of wheels that will take 400lbs+ on very aggressive offroad downhills and not not even squeak. They cost $800 and I would put these wheels up against anything- including the odd car that has got in their way. Those wheels are on a Tandem that is aggressively ridden- but as these wheels cost more than a Newbie wants to spend on a bike- then you have to discount them. Wheels are not the only thing that a Heavy rider will punish. Bottom brackets- Chainrings- Brakes and forks will all struggle to keep a Heavy rider riding.

As to the Kona hoss- That is built for the clydesdales. It is not indestructable though.There are other bikes out there but not many that out of the box will take a heavy rider. But the Hoss is built to take the POWER that a heavy rider puts out- Those legs are strong and wreck low end drive trains. The wheels will need looking at on a frequent basis-but they will take weight.

And if you ask any Kona owner what their next bike will be- It will be a Kona. It has a lot of brand loyalty and that is not just in the name- The bikes are good.

Maybe this will not help the OP, but I wonder why freestyle or all-mountain-bikes are not really popular in the clydes forum? With the stonger frames designed for landing, one would think this style of bike would be a good choice.

Edit: I am guessing cost is the major factor.

Mainly because the suspension sucks all the power out of the pedal stroke, and they myth of the Clyde crushing a road frame is just that, a Myth! Build a good set of high spoke count wheels and ride a road bike. Full suspension freeride bikes are also ridiculously heavy compared to a nonsuspension bike and it just has more parts to break.

Usually, what I'd suggest for a 350 pound rider is a nice steel touring bike with 40 spoke rear and 36 spoke front wheels, hand built or hand retensioned.

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Yes, the link mentioned getting stronger spokes and or wheelsets. I thought my post was long enough without going into getting better wheels, so I deleted that part. I left it up to the readers to read about better wheelsets in the link.

If I recall mikeabike beefed up the suspension on his Kona also. A BF member to be truely admired.